Strep throat type C or G
Before we start talking about these two special types of strep throat, I would like to emphasize two thing:
1. This chapter is dedicated to the sweet family that sent me an email and suggested I added this post to my website. Thank you.
2. I would like to remind you that we have a mythological chapter on our website about the main streptococcus bacteria that we encounter in the pediatric and adolescent clinics, group A streptococcus. So don’t get confused and keep that in mind as you navigate through this chapter.
This chapter is for all those people who had a throat culture done and received a result saying Group C or Group G strep was isolated.
What are group C and group G strep?
Familiar with the Smith family? Of course you are. It’s quite a big family. But you’ve got Bob Smith, and Danny smith, and then there’s a distant family member from up North, called Dave Smith.
It’s very similar in the streptococci family. They have strains among them that differ in their microbiological characteristics.
Which of the subtypes of streptococci is the strongest?
Group A strep. It is responsible for most of the bacterial infections in children and adults.
What are group C or group C streptococcus?
Both of these are different types of streptococci that are capable of causing infections in humans, including throat infections.
Who tends to get infections with Strep throat type C or G?
This infection is more prevalent among adolescents with bacterial throat infection. Keep in mind that even in adolescents these pathogens are less common than Group A strep. In addition, these bacteria tend to cause outbreaks in institutions or specific areas. That means that if there is a group of children or adolescents in a camp together and you find out that one of them has group C strep, you have a good chance of finding another case among them with group C strep.
Is the strep throat different when it is caused by group C or G compared to group A?
No. Even the best of physicians out there will not be able to distinguish between the three pathogens based on examination of the throat.
So when should we suspect strep throat type C or G?
Only after we receive the results of a throat swab showing that group C or G were isolated.
Are there any differences in diagnosis?
Yes, we often use a rapid strep test when looking for group A strep. Keep in mind that these rapid tests do not detect the two other types of strep.
This is the reason that familiarity with these bacteria occurs only after a regular swab culture is sent to the microbiology lab when group C or G can be isolated.
Practically speaking, Dr Efi, do we need to treat these type of strep throat infections?
To be able to know the different reasons for why we should treat group C or group G strep you have read the mythological chapter about Group A strep.
The reasons include:
1. Shortening the duration of illness – this applies to these types of strep infections as well. A child that received treatment will have a shorter duration of illness. So, if your child’s throat culture report says group C or G, continue their treatment up to 7 days (in contrast to Group A strep, where the treatment must be for 10 days). Note that if your child’s report comes back and they have already improved without treatment, you do not have to treat him/her (see clause 3 below).
2. Preventing infection among contacts – this is also a good reason to treat this type of strep throat.
3. Preventing immunological complications of strep – fortunately Group C and group G do not cause immunological complications so this is not one of the reasons for treatment.
What is the treatment for Group C or Group G strep?
The treatment is just like that for Group A strep, and it is simply penicillin.
On the other hand, you can shorten the treatment to 7 days.
In summary, strep throat that is caused by less common pathogens, but we still encounter them here and there. I hope that what I have written here will help reassure you and guide you to take wise decisions.
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